kurai @ haymarket

I've probably been here a zillion times but I got to say though, I love this place! I almost always go for the Katsu-Don but the Karage Chicken, Tofu-Don, Takoyaki, and Unagi are also my favourites. Might I add, that's only a few items off their menu; I'm still getting through it. Their udon and curry rice are definitely on my 'to try' list, will update as I get around to trying them.

Where to find it? This extremely small shop is located just opposite Market City. It might be easily missed, especially when lunch hour calls for a queue of people obscuring their front entrance. I've been in a queue everytime I've been here but rest assured that the wait here isn't as long as the wait at Ichiban Boshi up at Galleries (by far!). Like I said, it's an extremely small shop so really, grab your best mate or even just venture in yourself for a quick bite. Prices are so reasonable that you won't believe it!

Miso Soup + Green Tea.

Katsu-Don & Karage Chicken with Sweet Chilli Sauce. Be warned that both are extremely filling.

Salmon Sushi which looked too good to eat! Might add though, one meal per person is already quite enough (J&I struggled to finish this one)

I'd eat here everyday if I could! Staff are generally friendly and food is always awesome! Downside being that you can't really sit here for long and groups of more than 3 people can't really sit down for a meal (considering the shop only has spaces for about 12). There's also the pay when you order system which I've always found a bit strange. I'd rather get my food first before I have to pay (but that's just me though). To avoid the crowds, I recommend visiting before 12 or sometime after 2pm.

Love this place!

happy birthday amz!

Happy Birthday to the 'bestest' girl in the world! Hope you enjoyed your birthday and your presents (I am seriously considering stealing your bf...jk!) But I've got to say, you have to be one of the luckiest girls in the world. Thumbs up to Champs!

So it was strangely on a Sunday that the birthday girl invited a group of us out for dinner at Platinum (just where the buses are at Macquaire Centre). Given that it was a Sunday night, it wasn't a particularly big night but nonetheless, the first time in awhile since I've seen my bestie as well as the rest of the 'gang'. God, I don't even know how long it's been since we've gotten together. Proof of this -

Jenny: 'Andy (who is sitting next to me), why are you staring at me?'
Andy: 'Why can't I? I just want to look at my friend, I've haven't you in ages'
Jenny: Oh...
And this subsequently lead to the conversation of who is who's best friend and Andy's loud claim that he was Amy's best friend. Andy hasn't changed one bit.

The B'day girl and her boy. Cute!

Not sure who took this photo and I'm not sure why I'm waving my arm around.

Foodwise, I can't say that this place is particularly extraordinary. They've got quite an extensive menu and the food is generally well presented but it leans towards the pricey side for what you get. I've heard that both Platinum and Inferno's are owned by the same owner (they just sit next door to each other) and personally, I would recommend going to Inferno's (especially if you've got a big group).

Justin's Steak which was incredibly small but tasty.

Bruschetta with Pumpkin, Ricotta & Pancetta. This was what made them forget my main. I ended up having to wait another 5-10 minutes after everyone's mains came out. Boo!

My late-arriving Paperdelle with Asparagus and Salmon. Salty!

Made a new friend. Her name is Sally and us being silly.

The Girls.

A photo at our end of the table. Me glaring at Justin for being stupid.

It was a shame that we had to call it an early night. But work the next day! Happy Birthday Amz!

little egg cakes

Thanks for the recipe Kenneth! I'm not sure how you came across it but if you come across any other ones, please let me know. As promised, once I manage to get the recipe right, you're invited over to eat! Give me another week or two, and hopefully I will have mastered different flavours and variations for you to choose. Seriously dude, you're awesome!

So the story goes, Kenneth gave me this recipe late last week. At that time, I didn't actually have the right equipment to make them but I thought I'd give it a go with a regular English Waffle Pan maker. I'd planned on doing that over the weekend but as things always work, there was a slight change of plan. On Friday night, mum tells me she has a 'surprise' for me. lol... I actually thought she went to eat Maccas and got me the gingerbread man (that's another story) but I come home to find this surprise:


Is it awesome or what?! I didn't think they sold these here in Australia and even if they did, it would be heaps expensive! Turns out it was just a bit over $30 at the restaurant supply store that it's in my suburb. Mum was warned by the old lady at the store that this was just a very basic model. If you can see in the photo, it's pretty much 2 pieces held together by a nail. Definitely not as fancy as the professional ones you find in the streets of Hong Kong. Yay nonetheless!

I'm sure everyone from Hong Kong would be quite jealous now :P I don't think I know anyone (from Hong Kong) who doesn't like these cakes. If you're like me, I grew up with these and I look forward to my trips to Hong Kong where I can dig into countless servings of these cakes. Now I can make them at home!

Using Kenneth's recipe, I ended up making 3 full servings. The first turned out quite dense and well, I 'accidentally' overfilled the thing so I had batter running everywhere and caking onto the stove. As warned by the lady at the shop, you really need lots of oil/grease before you pour the mix in and I reinforce her words. The second batch I burnt quite badly (that's when I realised you can't pour the mix in when the pan's already heated up). The third I got to say was pretty much perfect. And well, that was gobbled up rather quickly.

So...I've got pandan essence and pandan paste at home which I have yet to use. Thinking I'll probably try a pandan flavoured batch next time. Hehe..loving my new little/big gadget! Only downside is that it's an absolute bummer to clean. Oh...and I lost one of my pastry brushes on this thing.